Stakeholder Whispering: Transforming Vague Requests into Strategic Solutions
Stop being an order-taker and start driving strategic impact. Learn how to transform vague stakeholder requests into clear project direction through powerful questioning techniques and assumption-challenging conversations.
You don’t need more tools or another leadership framework. You need to learn how to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and guide stakeholders toward real solutions — before misalignment costs you time, money, and missed opportunities.
Join us for an innovative approach to thinking about stakeholder conversations: Stakeholder Whispering. In this entertaining talk, Bill Shander enlightens people on the art of stakeholder conversations that uncover real needs, challenge assumptions to reduce bad decisions, and deliver results that improve organizational performance and your career.
August 27, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. – Noon CT
Learn together! Purchase 3 or more training seats for your team or network and save up to $19 per ticket! Users can be assigned and updated after the purchase.
Who Should Attend?
- The junior marketer who doesn’t even realize this is an issue yet – that their stakeholders don’t know what they need.
- The mid-level marketer who may know it’s an issue but hasn’t really figured out what to do about it yet.
- Any marketing professional that gets stuck endlessly iterating projects trying to make their boss/client happy and can’t seem to get around that reality.
Key Takeaways
- Identify how cognitive biases and the subconscious response lead to wasted time and effort at work
- Differentiate between a “want” or a “request” and an actual underlying need
- Ask better questions to uncover real needs
- Turn complexity into clarity, so communication drives action
Are you an AMA Professional Certified Marketer®️? This training is worth 2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to maintain your PCM®️ certification.
AMA Members Get the Best Pricing
Not only do members get discounts on training like this, but they also receive exclusive content, downloadable tools, unlimited access to AMA Journals, membership in networking communities and more.
Training Backed By Research
AMA training is unique because of its data-backed approach. The AMA Marketing Skills Framework identifies the most impactful skills marketers need to advance their careers. It’s based on our research with more than 1,000 marketing professionals and academic leaders.
AMA Event Policies
- Understanding Stakeholder Challenges
- Introduction to the idea that stakeholders don’t know what they need, why that is, and why it’s important to solve
- Discuss the role of cognitive biases and subconscious responses in workplace communication and collaboration
- Creating the Story
- User experience mindset with some curiosity and skepticism about everything begins to solve it
- Differentiating Wants vs Requests
- Asking Effective Questions
- What makes a good question
- The Socratic Method
- How to get clarity and on the same page
- Additional Communication techniques and considerations
- Driving Action and Staying on the Same Page
- How do you continue the conversation and story to stay on the same page
- How to circle back and start off if you/your stakeholders get off track
Bill Shander
Beehive Media, LLCBill Shander is an information designer, helping clients turn their data into compelling visual and often interactive experiences. He teaches data storytelling, information design and data visualization on LinkedIn Learning, at the University of Vermont, and in workshops around the world. Clients include the World Bank, Starbucks, multiple U.S. Government agencies, Big Four firms, and many more household names across a spectrum of industries.
Connect: @billshander
What’s Included?
- 2 hours of live instruction starting at 10:00 a.m. CT
- Interactive Q&A
- Resources, tips and best practices
- Access to recording and resources for three months
Who Should Attend?
- Any marketing professional that gets stuck endlessly iterating projects trying to make their boss/client happy and can’t seem to get around that reality.
Can’t Attend Live But Want The Information?
We will send a link to the recording and resources within one business day of the event to all registrants! Access will be available for three months.